


15 Pairings Challenge

by progfox



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-07-30
Updated: 2011-09-06
Packaged: 2017-10-31 13:45:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/344705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/progfox/pseuds/progfox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fifteen oneshots for a challenge over on Livejournal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Thinking

**Author's Note:**

> prompt 09 - photograph

Shiki flips her phone open, again, the light from her screen piercing the darkness and stinging her eyes. She stares sadly at the background image. First she loses Eri, and now she can't find her partner anywhere. Granted, Neku isn't gone forever; he's probably wandering around in the dark somewhere. But still, she can't forget the suffocating loneliness when he's not around.

She's not gone forever either, Shiki reminds herself. She's fine. I'll see her again when this week is over. 

That's not really what she's worried about, but she hopes that focusing on that will make this hellish Game just a little bit easier. 

Shiki snaps her phone shut. She needs to go find Neku. 

She wonders how much Eri really misses her. Sometimes she'll be looking at the picture on her phone, praying for a little hope, and it crosses her mind that maybe Eri doesn't care. 

When the thought makes itself known, Shiki just shakes it from her mind because she needs to be strong, needs to win the Game so she can get back. 

Because she never told Eri her secret. 

Shiki is still thinking about this when she finds Neku, who apologizes for his behavior the day before. Shiki hadn't thought much about it, honestly; she was too busy thinking about Eri. She forgives him; she understands exactly why he did it. 

Neku heads for the exit, and Shiki kisses the picture on her phone, right where Eri is. Her little secret comes to mind, the one thing she needs to tell Eri, and she whispers it to the photo so she'll know. 

"I love you, Eri." 

Maybe, just maybe, Shiki can say it to her face when this is all over.


	2. A Princess' Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt 01 - once upon a time

Once upon a time, Raimu Bito lost her hopes and dreams, and Yoshiya Kiryu brought them back, sort of.

* * *

Rhyme is a princess.

Rhyme is very young, and she likes to pretend that she is a princess and Beat is a loyal knight, always there to protect her. 

Okay, so Rhyme doesn't know much about how the whole thing works, but she imagines it's something like that. 

Beat humors her, boasting about how he'll help keep her safe from dragons and monsters, safe from their enemies. He is only half-joking; loyal knight or not, he wants his sister to be safe and happy. 

Rhyme wants to be a princess. 

This is before she grows up and realizes there are greater things to dream of, things that might actually come true one day. 

Still, this is her first dream, and Rhyme dreams that she will be a princess one day. 

* * *

Rhyme doesn't want to be a princess anymore. She wants to be a singer.

She doesn't nescessarily have a great voice, but she is still a young child; no one expects her to be the best. They only expect her to have fun. Her parents and brother are happy she has a dream. They applaud her when she sings, encourage her to sing some more. 

She especially loves to sing to Beat. He is so supportive of her every dream, and he looks so happy when she sings in her sweet, childish voice. 

He can see her face light up when she sings; he can see how much fun she is having and how important it is to her. 

He doesn't have a dream of his own yet. This isn't important to either of them at the moment, because they are both happy that one of them has something to hope for. 

* * *

Once upon a time, Princess Rhyme wondered if she would find a handsome prince one day.

* * *

"Why can't you be more like your sister?"

They've had this argument more times than Rhyme can remember. Their parents wish Beat were more ambitious, more hard working. 

At the very least, they wish he had something to care about. They wish he had hopes and dreams, too. 

Beat doesn't see that, though. He doesn't see parents who worry that he won't get anywheren life. He sees disappointment and disapproval. He is sick of it. 

He wishes Rhyme didn't know but these arguments. It stresses her out to hear her brother and parents fight, their shouting matches sometimes loud enough to be heard outside the house. 

Right now, Beat is not happy with his life. Rhyme is happy with hers, for the most part, and he wants to keep it that way. 

If he could stop fighting with their parents, he would. Just for her. 

Somewhere deep down, Rhyme wishes she was a princess again. 

* * *

Rhyme has so many hopes and so many dreams. It's hard to keep track.

She wants to be a singer, she wants to be a vet. She wants to be multi-talented. She wants her brother to be happy. She wants to do something for the world, somehow. 

Rhyme dreams that one day, they will be the best they can be. 

Beat is secretly jealous of her ambition, of the fact that their parents shower her with love and encouragement and never do the same for him. 

Rhyme dreams that one day, Beat will find his dream. 

He just wishes she would give up on him, too. 

* * *

"Why can't you be more like your sister?"

"I don' wanna hear dat crap anymore." 

Just like always, Beat storms out of the house; and just like always, Rhyme runs after him. 

But this time, something changes. 

This time a car is running straight toward her and she doesn't see it; she doesn't even know what's happening until Beat grabs her, tries to get her out of the way but he isn't fast enough, isn't strong enough to stop a car before 

* * *

Once upon a time, Rhyme was a princess.

* * *

They wake up in Scramble Crossing.

Rhyme sits up and looks beside her. A blonde, muscular boy is laying nearby, a skateboard next to him. He sits up and scratches the back of his head. 

He looks over at her and says, "Hey!" 

"Hi! It's nice to meet you." Rhyme holds out her hand. "I'm Rhyme. Will you make a pact with me?" 

She swears she can see tears well up in the boy's eyes as she speaks. 

"Are you okay?" she asks. 

"Yeah," the boy replies, sounding almost like he's choking. "Yeah, I'm cool." He takes her hand and shakes it. "The name's Beat." 

* * *

Rhyme is always talking about how she doesn't need a second chance. She doesn't have a dream, nothing to come back to except her brother and his constant fights with their parents.

Beat is loud and lively. He tells her about his dream to be the world's best skateboarder. Rhyme loves to hear him talk about his deam; his happiness is infectious. 

She can forget that she doesn't want her second chance and be happy he has a reason for one. 

* * *

Once upon a time, Rhyme had something to live for. Hopes and dreams and a reason to keep going.

None of it matters anymore though because she sees the Noise, it's about to attack Beat and she can't let that happen, can't let him get erased. She is hit with the strangest sense of déjà vu as she pushes him out of the way, and the shocked look on his face is the last thing she sees before 

* * *

Once upon a time, Rhyme and Beat were happy.

* * *

Rhyme wakes up, and she doesn't remember being Noise. She vaguely remembers how it feels but soon all those thoughts are blown away.

"There's no need to think about that anymore, dear." 

Rhyme looks up to see a silver-haired boy, possibly around her brother's age. And suddenly, she remembers Beat. 

"Beat!" she shouts, quickly sitting upright. "Where's Beat? Is he okay?" 

"He's fine," the boy assures her. "You'll see him soon." 

"Did he win the Game?" 

"Yes." He has the nicest smile, Rhyme notices. "He won the game, as did Shiki and Neku." 

"That's good." Rhyme smiles. There's something about him that's so...calming. 

He giggles lightly. "Well, it's about time you went back home." 

The boy kisses her cheek. "Welcome back to life, Raimu." 

* * *

Rhyme dreams about him, sometimes. It's the only dream she has anymore.

* * *

Sometimes, Raimu Bito just doesn't feel like living.

* * *

Joshua comes back. After three years, he is finally back.

Rhyme's heart begins to flutter as he walks towards the group. Neku is scowling. He doesn't hide under headphones anymore, but he looks like he's trying to hide in the massive collar of his shirt. 

"Howdy." Joshua waves, a smirk on his face. "Long time, no see." 

"Hey, Josh," Neku mumbles. He clearly hasn't forgiven him yet. 

Rhyme is wary of Joshua. She wants to ignore the way she feels about him; she wants to remind herself that he's a murderer and a manipulater, but she forgets about this when he tips her head up slightly, as though to get a better look at her. She turns bright red when she notices how close their faces are. 

"Hello again, Rhyme. Did you miss me?" 

Rhyme is about to answer his question when Beat shouts, "Keep your hands off my sister!" 

Joshua steps back. He looks mildly irritated. 

"Beat, it's okay," Rhyme protests. Beat interrupts her. 

"No, Rhyme, I ain't gonna let a guy like that near you." 

Beat is still her loyal knight, protecting her as always. 

And Rhyme is still a princess. 

She isn't very young, and she is wise beyond her years, but sometimes she still has those childish daydreams. 

Sometimes, she thinks she might like to be a princess. It's the closest thing she has to a dream. 

And sometimes, she dreams about her prince; sometimes, she hopes he is dreaming of her. 

* * *

Rhyme's prince has silver hair.

Once upon a time, her silver-haired prince was lonely. 

* * *

One day, Rhyme tells Joshua about her childhood dreams. She tells him about wishing to be a vet, a beautiful actress, a singer; and eventually, she tells him about her very first dream.

"It's funny," he says, smiling as he takes her hand and intertwines their fingers. "I used to dream of being a prince." 

"Really?" Rhyme is surprised; he seems much too old to have ever dreamed something so silly. 

"Mhm. I never had a such a loyal...guardian, however." He smirks. "Has he always been so important to you?" 

Rhyme bobs her head. "He was the most important person in my life." 

"Was? 

Rhyme hesitates. She hadn't noticed her use of the past tense. 

"Heh." Joshua doesn't ask her to elaborate. He has a feeling he knows what she means. 

Rhyme kisses him lightly. One of the things she loves about him is that, selfish as he may be, he never forces himself on her. 

Rhyme is a princess, after all, and Joshua is her prince. 

* * *

Once upon a time, Princess Raimu and Prince Yoshiya forgot how to be happy.

Once upon a time...they finally remembered how.


	3. northern downpour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt 08 - misery loves company
> 
> "If all our life is but a dream  
> Fantastic posing greed  
> Then we should feed our jewelry to the sea  
> For diamonds do appear to be  
> Just like broken glass to me.
> 
> And then she says she can't believe  
> Genius only comes along in storms of fabled foreign tongues  
> Tripping eyes and flooded lungs  
> The northern downpour sends its love."  
> ~Northern Downpour, Panic! At The Disco

Neku looks up at the overcast sky and hopes it doesn't rain. He hates when it rains.

* * *

Joshua sighs and rests his head on his hand. He watches Neku and he watches the sky. He's almost anticipating the inevitable downpour.

It comforts him, somehow. 

* * *

When a drop of rain hits Neku's nose, he scurries into the nearby Sunshine. The fluorescent lights seem brighter than normal.

All he can do now is sit by the window and wait for the sun. He hates to walk home in the rain. 

* * *

Joshua hides in the Underground; he's not supposed to contact Neku. Or watch him, really, but nothing could keep him away for good.

Today's sort of a funny day, though. Maybe now's a good day to break some rules. 

* * *

It rained the first few days after the Game. Just rained nonstop. Neku knows he isn't God, not really, but he can't help thinking Joshua made it happen.

The rain is just sort of unpleasant in general, really. 

Speak of the devil. He spots someone in the faint reflection in the window. Neku doesn't even have to turn around to see Joshua walking up behind him with his frilly little parasol in hand. 

"What's the matter, Neku?" he asks. He isn't smirking for once, which Neku finds strange. 

Neku considers ignoring him, but he knows that Josh will just follow him home or something. Instead, he settles for something dry and generic. 

"Long time no see," he mumbles, keeping his gaze on the window. _Please,_ he thinks, _just leave me the hell alone._

"Why should I?" Joshua counters, sitting beside him. 

Yep. Neku figured Joshua would be reading his thoughts. 

Joshua giggles lightly and rests his free arm on Neku's shoulder. Normally, he'd shrug it off, but tonight the gesture is strangely comforting. 

"Now." Joshua sets his parasol down and turns Neku's head to face him. "Tell me what's wrong." 

Something about his voice is deceptively kind. Joshua doesn't care. He never cares. What the hell? 

Neku just shrugs. 

Joshua sighs. "Fine. Whatever. Don't care." 

"Go away, Josh." 

"What is it they say? Misery loves company?" 

"That applies to pretty much everyone but me." 

"Come on, admit it." Joshua leans a bit closer to him. "You're happy to see me." 

"You're delusional," Neku scoffs. "Why would I be happy to see you?" 

"I'm hurt." Joshua places a hand over his chest, then smirks. "I missed you too, dear." 

Neku snorts. "Right. Whatever. I'm so sure." 

Joshua giggles again. "Well, would you like me to walk you home? Unless you'd rather wait for the rain to stop." 

"I wouldn't be caught dead with you and your stupid frickin' parasol." 

"Fine then." Joshua stands up. "Hope you don't mind waiting 'till morning." 

"What?" Neku looks up to shoot a bewildered look at Josh. "Morning?" 

Joshua smirks and heads for the exit. "Yep. Have a good night, Nekky!" 

Before Neku can come up with a response, Joshua's already outside and heading towards Scramble Crossing. 

"Wait!" Neku stands up and shouts at the window, forgetting Joshua can't hear him. 

"Wait..." 

* * *

What is it about this asshole that has Neku running through the rain to find him?

Why does Neku feel compelled to keep him close? 

* * *

Joshua can just barely hear Neku's voice coming from behind. He ignores it and continues walking.

"Hey, wait up!" 

Joshua stops this time. Neku slips and crashes into him, knocking both boys to the ground. 

"Howdy," Joshua says, giggling. 

"Jackass," Neku mutters, too tired to say much else. He collapses onto a bench, breathing heavily. 

For a moment, Neku wonders why it was so important that he catch up with Joshua. He doesn't spend too much time worrying about it; he's sure the issue will keep him from sleeping tonight either way. 

Suddenly, he realizes the rain isn't hitting him anymore. 

Neku looks up at the other boy, who just stands there with a hand in his pocket and a hint of a smile on his face. His parasol is tilted so that it covers Neku. 

"So where were you going?" he asks. 

Joshua shrugs. "I have no idea. I was just...going." 

"Huh." Neku raises an eyebrow. "That's...strange." 

"What else is there to do?" Joshua asks. 

Neku ignores the question, unsure if he can come up a suitable answer. 

"Didn't you have somewhere you needed to be?" 

"Oh...yeah." But Neku's not in much of a hurry to get going now. 

He stands and looks at Joshua hesitantly. Josh swiftly kisses his cheek and Neku scurries off, blushing. 

Joshua sits with his legs crossed, parasol blocking the rain, and he smirks. Good to know he's not completely alone, in any case.


End file.
